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Here's an update from our "town" (actually city) in Southwestern Connecticut as "your scribe" has promised to report:

"Americares, a nonprofit global health and disaster relief organization, and Major League Baseball veteran Bobby Valentine have recently teamed up to help get supplies quickly and efficiently to Japan."

(from The Stamford Times, a free, local, weekly paper delivered usually on Fridays...)

Bobby V, as the Stamford native is called around here, lived in Japan for five years while managing the Chiba Lotte Mariners (sorry if I got the spelling wrong...)

Somehow I knew he was going to help! And he did.

Here's how it worked out: Americares is a Stamford based charity which had medicine, medical supplies and medical equipment and needed a way to get the supplies to Japan. Valentine has a friend who works for a hospital in Japan ....

In addition to Valentine's help Americares has already received $250 million in donations from private philanthropies in the US and expects to get more ... The organization president, Curt Welling "said that within days of the earthquake and tsunami disasters, AmeriCares had a team of relief workers in Japan assessing the immediate health needs of the survivors. Last week, the first shipment, carrying more than $525,000 worth of medical supplies was delivered to Tohoku University Hospital in Sendai..."

Just an example of what's going on in the US locally and nationally... oh and our local church took two collections and is in touch with Episcopal Relief and Development, printed their report on conditions in the affected areas in the Holy Week parish newsletter and the Outreach Committee is evaluating the best use of the collected funds...

Bobby V said he will hold a fundraiser June 18th and to check with his website (www.bobbyvalentine.org)

Just thought that this might cheer people up a bit that individuals over here, and groups, are doing their part....

That's good to know, Diana. Bobby Valentine was popular in Japan and the Chiba fans still love him. The Chiba Lotte Marines came second in the Pacific League in 1995 in Valentine's first season in Japan but then he was fired in a petty powerplay. He was persuaded to come back to Japan and the Marines in 2004 and they won the Japan Series in 2005.